Well it's official! My students and I survived the first week of school! It was four intense (but fun) days that didn't leave a lot of time for self-care. This year I'm making it a goal to bring some of that summer calm into the school year. I want to find ways to maintain a healthy life, while still keeping my passion for teaching high. So here are some links for just that:

The unexpected benefit of being bad at yoga. Being perfect at yoga, even being good at yoga, was simply not a goal of mine anymore. Instead, I started focusing on how my body felt, on what it was telling me. And, once I listened to it, I could begin giving myself what I needed.

Guiding guided play in New York City's prekindergarten.
This speaks to me, as a kindergarten teacher who can barely find time for free choice, let alone guided exploration time. Apparently NYC's school chancellor has a commitment to "joyful learning" (so cool!) and wants to make sure "poor children will theoretically be taught as the city's affluent are, which is to say according to the principles of immersive, play-based, often self-directed and project-driven learning."